Not Applicable.
The present invention relates to xe2x80x9cgooseneckxe2x80x9d type trailer hitches for use in the bed of a pickup truck. More particularly, this invention relates to a gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism which allows a user to lower the hitch ball below the floor of a truck bed for storage when the hitch ball is not in use, thereby permitting the user to make full use of the bed of the truck.
A common method of attaching larger trailers to a pickup truck for towing is the use of a xe2x80x9cgooseneckxe2x80x9d or fifth wheel trailer hitch. Unlike the most common method of hooking a trailer to a vehicle for towing where a ball is mounted on the bumper of a truck, in a gooseneck trailer hitch arrangement, the ball is mounted on the floor of a pickup bed and/or to the truck frame below the bed floor generally over the rear axle of the truck. In this arrangement, the trailer has a long tongue portion which is curved and takes on the general shape of a goose""s neck. A benefit of having the hitch ball mounted directly over the trailer, as opposed to mounted on the bumper, is that the amount of load placed on the tongue oft he trailer can be increased as the load is passed directly onto the rear axle of the truck instead of onto the bumper.
While gooseneck hitches of this type have been around for years, a problem associated with this hitching arrangement is the location of the upwardly and typically permanently mounted hitch ball in the middle of the floor of the bed. In the majority of the gooseneck hitch arrangements, the hitch ball is coupled with a large metal plate and the entire unit is bolted or welded to the floor of the truck bed and/or to the truck frame below the bed floor in a location which is generally equidistant from the side walls of the bed and in the center of the bed. This type of arrangement presents problems in that if a user of a truck desires to lay large, flat sheet goods in the bed of the truck, the upwardly protruding hitch member does not allow the sheet goods to lay flat on the bed of the truck and can thereby damage the sheet goods. Similarly, if the user of the truck fills the bed with loose materials, such as dirt or gravel and attempts to shovel the loose material out, the upwardly protruding hitch member often interferes with the user""s ability to shovel the loose material out of the bed.
In an effort to solve these problems, several people have devised arrangements where the hitch ball is either completely removable or may be lowered beneath the floor of the bed. Most of these arrangements have several shortcomings. For example, many of the arrangements require the user to get up in the bed of the truck and manually remove the hitch member by pulling it out of the floor of the bed. The user must then climb back out of the bed and store the hitch ball somewhere until its next use.
Therefore, there is a need for a retractable gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism which may be operated from a location remote from the hitch ball and the interior of the bed of the pickup truck. The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art and fills these and other needs.
In order to overcome the above-stated problems and limitations, and to achieve the noted advantages, there is provided a retractable gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism having a housing with a generally vertical opening therein, a hitch member which is slidably received in the housing and movable between a raised and lowered position, a cam coupled with the housing which contacts a portion of the hitch member and a linkage assembly coupled with the cam which permits a user to move the cam and in turn raise and lower the hitch member.
In general, the housing includes a generally vertical slot therein and a portion of the hitch member extends through the slot outside of the housing. The cam is pivotal between a first position and a second position about a shaft which extends from the housing and has an arcuate face which contacts the portion of the hitch member which extends through the slot in the housing. As the cam is moved from the first position to the second position by the user via the linkage assembly, the portion of the hitch member which is in contact with the arcuate face of the cam rids along the arcuate face of the cam and in turn travels upwardly in the generally vertical slot in the housing. In turn, the hitch member rises upwardly in the opening and is moved from the lowered or retracted position to the raised or extended use position. The user may selectively move the hitch member between its raised and lowered position.